Improvement in straw-cutters



ditemi txtrs VDANFORD Cuartas; or ROME; PENNSYLVANIA.

Lette/rs Patent No. 92,583, dated July/V13, 1869.

IMPROVBMENT 1N' sTRAW-CUTTERS.

Tho Schedule referred. to in these Letters -Patent and peut of the saine.

T o all whom 'it may concern Be it known that I, DANFORD CHAFFEE, of Rome, inthe county of Bradford, and in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful 'Improvements in Straw-Cutters5 and do` hereby declare that the bllowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference jbeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to 'the letters of reference marked thereon,

making a partofl this specification.

' The nature of my invention consists in the const-ruction and general arrangement of a straw-cutter, but lmore particularly in the device for or manner of oper ating the cutting-knife. y

'In order to enable others skilledin the art to which my invention appertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation, referring to the annexed drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front view, and

Figure 2, a side elevation, part iu section.v

A A represent two standards, connected at a suitable height by a crosspiece,B, on which the' front end vof the box C rests, the rear end of said box being sup- `ported by one or two legs 1 1 Like other straw-cutters, the box C is open at both ends, and contracting' toward. thefront. The front end oLthe bottom is'hinged, as seen in fig. 2, and this hinged portion E is held or pressed slightly upward, by means of a spring, F, placed underneath the box, so as to hold the s traw'up to the knives, at the same time yielding enough to allow the knives or cutters to cut the straw easily. y

To the front side of the standards A A is secured a horizontal knife, I, edge uppermost, which edge ex tends up above the level of the bottom of the box C. This knife may, however, be dispensed with, arid a bent steel bar placed at the mouth ofthe box O, against the outer edge of which bar the upper or movable cutting-knife would operate.v

l Within the mouth of the box Gis placed an inclined board, G, forming a roof, so as to hold the straw down, and allow the cutting-knife to be raised above all the straw.

Dovetailed to the. upper ends of thestandards AA f is a bar, H, placed in an inclined position,as shown in fig. 1, one end of said bar extending a suitable distanceI beyond the side of the box C. rlhis bar is, by three levers, J, J1, and'J, connected with an inclined bar, K,

to the innerside of which latter bar the cutting-knife g i L is secured, thus working the cutting-knife 'by some-V thing similart the Archimedes broken lever, and giving to the cutting-knife a ldrawing as well as cutting stroke.

Although the material o f which the levers J, J1, and J2 are made may be considered unimportant, I have found it best to make vthe'shUrtest one, J, (the three levers being 4of unequal leugtli,)of metal.

The middle lever J1 is extended below and beyond the cutting-knife L, so as to fo1'n'1.tlie handle M, with which the Vmachine is operated.v

From thebar K is suspended a guide, N, which regulates the distance. the straw will extend beyond the knives to be cut.

A machine thus constructed maybe used-for cut- 'ting hay, `cornstalks, &c.,' as well as for straw.

Having thus-fully described my invention,

- VWhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, i's- 1. The combination of the bar H, levers J J1J2, and

bar K, carrying the cutting-knife L, all constructed as described, and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination and arrangement of the standards A A, vbox C, hinged part E of bottom, spring F, inclined-roof: G, inclined bar H, connecting levers J, J1, and J 2, cutting-knife L, guideN, and with or Without the stationary knife L, all constructed and operating substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing, I have hereunto set my hand, this 29th day of May, 1869.

DANFORD OHAFFEE.

Witnesses:`

STEPHEN ELWELL,

ADDISON W. TAYLOR. 

